Pure and honest entertainment

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2016)

Having re-watched this movie, I can say with certainty that Guillermo del Toro has created something quite rare and wonderful here: an honest adventure film that in no way shies away from what it is and is none the worse for it.
I think that many of us saw the trailers and become excited yet hesitant because surely it couldn't be as good as we were promised. Surely the film would focus too much on the political machinations of the evil government, or too much on the romance between our protagonists. Or the action would be too blurry, or there would be too little of it. Surely this kind of movie wouldn't be allowed to be "just" about giant mechas fighting giant godzilla-monsters.
And sure, there is some talk about governments, the protagonists are a man and a woman. But it's a movie about giant mechas fighting godzilla-monsters. There's nothing impure about that. It's what the movie is, simple as that. And it is fantastic! The action scenes are phenomenal. Vibrant with colours, beautifully executed, each unique and exciting to follow, with no shaky-cam, or needless bleakness, or annoying side characters butting in with one-liners.
And it's more than that. There is an actual story in this film. Granted, it's a simple story about humanity rising against a common threat, with no big surprises or twists on the horizon. But, quite frankly, that's more than enough. The characters and their actors are of excellent quality, which breathes life into the story, giving it the depth it needs to elevate this film above a simple actionfest. And it does avoid or sidestep some obvious clichés quite beautifully, earning it some extra brownie points.
Do you like robots? Do you like monsters? Does the idea of them fighting one another excite you? Then see this film. It's all you'd ever want, and more.